


obligations

by sqweezybreezy



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Identity Reveal, Multi, Romance, Teamwork, bad press, kinda angsty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-01-25 13:29:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21357004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sqweezybreezy/pseuds/sqweezybreezy
Summary: Someone posted an incriminating review of Chat Noir and Ladybug's hero work, causing the citizens of Paris to outcast them and their supporters. Those who still believe in the heroes are few and far between, but two students at Françoise Dupont maintain their beliefs that the heroes of Paris are doing their best.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is questioning the heroes' moral compasses.

Today's Akuma had possessed a construction worker whose modus operandi was to flatten out any landmarks or buildings that stood in his way. It was taking everything out of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and they'd had to detransform and re-charge their Kwamis once already. Each time they regrouped on le Tour Eiffel or l'Arc de Triomphe, Démolir would send a wave of vibrations that levelled out where they stood. 

Eventually, with some luck, Ladybug was able to get the Akumatized hard hat off of the villain and threw it to Chat Noir to break. As soon as the Akuma was purified, Ladybug cast away her yoyo and reset the city using her Miraculous Ladybug curing power. 

Buildings that had previously been piles of dust and rubble magically appeared right as rain, and the pedestrians who had been trapped in the process appeared unscathed on the streets. 

Chat Noir grinned tiredly at his Lady and offered his fist for their traditional fist-bump of celebration. Ladybug raised her own to return the gesture. It was at this moment that the reporters finally arrived. 

Ladybug's earrings beeped their 5-minute warning just as the reporters started shouting their questions at the heroes. 

"What do you think is the cause of the increase in dangerous Akumas lately?" One questioned. 

"Chat Noir, tell us about your life outside of heroism!" Another called out, relentless.

"Ladybug, how would you define your relationship with Chat Noir?" That one was Alya Césaire - Ladyblog owner and journalist and Marinette's best friend. However, Alya didn't know who lay beneath Ladybug's mask. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look of annoyance as they prepared to jump away from the paparazzi, but one reporter's question kept them from leaving. 

"How does it feel to know that your heroic obligations have only been met due to a magical loophole?" 

The man who had spoken wore a stereotypical beige trench coat with a fedora placed neatly on his head. He held one of Paris' independent news company's microphones in his hand as he asked his question loud and clear. Ladybug's quick glance at Alya proved that the other reporters had heard the question, too, and wanted to hear more.

Ladybug knew she shouldn't have provoked the negative reporter, as was her's and Chat Noir's plans whenever they were met with those types of journalists. However, she couldn't help herself. 

"Excuse me?" She demanded sassily, staring the fedora-wearing man straight in the eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reporter demands answers to the heroes' actions.

Ladybug's eyes stared down the reporter for several seconds before he opened his mouth to respond. Chat Noir moved to place his hand on Ladybug's shoulder reassuringly. Though the slight pressure he added made her think he was a little ruffled about the situation. 

He stuck his nose up and held the microphone higher, "As our heroes, your obligations are to save the day and save the citizens of Paris, correct?"

With this free hand, he gestured at the pristine cobblestone streets that appeared untouched after even such a rough battle. Innocent civilians with injuries became healthy miraculously after Ladybug's power swept across the city, and all wrongs were righted for the day. Or so Ladybug thought. 

Ladybug nodded to let the reporter know she was waiting, "Well, Ladybug, the only reason you've been able to fulfill your obligations to Paris have been through your supposed healing powers; a clear loophole, no?" 

The crowd of reporters began murmuring in either assent or dissent, shifting their grips on their cameras and microphones in order to better capture the conversation being held. 

Ladybug was outraged by the audacity the reporter had, coming at them with these accusations. She opened her mouth to respond when she heard Alya's voice cut across the commotion. 

"Ladybug is Paris' hero! Her powers help to make this city a safer place." She said assuredly, glaring down the reporter, "Chat Noir too, for that matter." 

Ladybug shifted her gaze back to the fedora-wearing reporter and was surprised to see he hadn't backed down. Alya usually had the ability to make grown adults quiver in their boots, but this reporter wasn't fazed. 

He simply grinned and replied, "Ladybug and Chat Noir are _supposed_ to be our heroes, yes. Yet every day they allow villains to hurt our loved ones and destroy Paris. The only reason they're considered our heroes is because they magically repair everything afterwards!" 

Ladybug seethed. She and Chat Noir were the only ones putting their necks out there to protect the city, and they weren't perfect by any means but at least they were doing something! She could've cried out in relief when she heard Alya say the same thing.

Alya rolled her eyes and asserted, "So? At least they're doing _something_!" 

The other reporter simply flipped his hand at her passively, "It's all a magical technicality. They could be doing so much more for our city, to prevent the attacks at their source instead of simply fixing the damage they cause." 

Ladybug was becoming irate, her vision blurring with angry tears as she heard this man berate her and her partner as if they weren't standing directly in front of her. Chat's hand grew tighter on her shoulder, warning her not to buy into the man's schemes, especially with all the other reporters watching. 

Even if she wanted to give the fedora-wearing man a piece of her mind, she couldn't. He was already walking away in disinterest, and her earrings decided it was the perfect time to shrill out their final beeps of warning. 

She forced herself to back away, tearing herself from the confrontation. As she threw her yo-yo at a nearby building, she made uneasy eye-contact with her fleeing partner and he nodded discernibly, a subtle agreement that they should meet again soon, before they parted ways for the day. 

She landed on the balcony of her parent's bakery, nearly 3 blocks from where she had been just moments before. She was still angry as she felt her transformation wash over her. She caught her exhausted Kwami in one of her palms and wiped her hot tears with the back of her other hand. 

As she looked at her snoozing friend, she could hardly believe it. Somehow, that entire exchange had lasted less than the 5 minute timer her earrings allotted her. 

Yet, it felt like she was standing there in front of the reporters for hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :-) thanks for reading! pls comment or kudos if u enjoy


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following day, something is posted online.

The timing of the attack could have been a lot better.

Marinette was forced to excuse herself on the premise that she was having a “feminine emergency”. She was halfway out the door by the time her teacher had acknowledged her panic, and was able to slip away to the bathrooms relatively unscathed. 

Because of the attack, she had missed all of her afternoon classes. 

Actually, it was most likely that school had been cancelled following the official Akuma Notice that the city of Paris had decreed a few months back, so she tried not to let herself worry. 

Her responsibility was to Paris safe from harm. If that meant skipping a few classes or leaving early, so be it; that’s what she kept telling herself, anyway. 

Regardless, Marinette wondered if she could rely on her best friend’s notes for whatever classes she _had_ missed. Since Alya had appeared at the scene of the crime as the reporter for the Ladyblog, Marinette wasn’t so sure. 

Maybe she could ask Adrien for his notes?

Marinette sat on her loft, pulling out her Chat Noir themed blanket and wrapping it tight around her head. She shut her eyes tiredly and let out a long sigh. 

Tikki, Marinette’s kwami, floated over to the desk and phased through the cookie jar, quietly nibbling on the first cookie she came across. 

Tikki could tell that Marinette was overthinking the allegations that the reporter had made. Once the little red creature finished her cookie, she floated over to where Marinette was still sitting and moved in close to nuzzle her cheek lovingly. 

“Tikki?” Marinette cried, eyes welling up with tears. She’d been thinking and rethinking everything that had happened that afternoon. The fight could’ve gone better, of course, but she was mostly thinking about after the fact. 

Paris’ reporters always knew how to get under her skin, asking all the wrong questions at the worst of times. However, she felt most bothered by this new guy. 

She’d never seen him before, and based on how Alya spoke to the man, she was sure he was new to Paris’ journalism scene. 

Tikki calmingly reassured Marinette that she was the best Ladybug she’d had in a very long time, and that everything she was doing was right for Paris’ safety. 

By the time Marinette caught her breath and her tears stopped falling, her mother was calling her down for dinner. 

During dinner, her parents questioned her sullen behaviour but Marinette brushed it off as being overtired from school. They were appeased with that answer and let it be, continuing their meal with quiet conversation. 

After eating, Marinette went back to her room and changed into her comfiest pyjamas. 

It was only 8:30PM but she was so exhausted. She could hardly keep her eyes open. 

She’d spent so much time overthinking and stressing that she had worn herself down and as soon as her head hit her pillow, she fell asleep. 

When she woke, it was to her first alarm. Marinette rarely woke up without her parents’ help as she was the World’s Deepest Sleeper™. 

She was pleasantly surprised to see she had plenty of time to get dressed and ready. When she glanced at her reflection she noticed that her eyes were red and puffy from her evening of crying, so she would have to dedicate some time to conceal her under eyes before she looked presentable. 

By the time she was dressed and her hair and teeth were brushed, her parents were ushering her out of the bakery with a hand-packed lunch and kisses to each of her cheeks. 

Today would be a good day, she thought to herself, smiling. 

~

Today was not a good day, she thought, sighing in her seat. 

Of course, it started that way - she was on time for once! However, Alya had bombarded her at the school’s entrance, immediately reminding Marinette of yesterday’s plights. 

“Did you see Ladybug and Chat Noir’s fight yesterday? I know you went home sick, but did you see?” Alya had said. 

“No, Alya, I was sort of busy yesterday...” Marinette replied, trailing off miserably. She really hadn’t wanted to discuss the details. 

Alya shrugged, “Well, did you read my article on the Ladyblog?!” Alya replied, shoving her phone into Marinette’s face where her blog was loaded, “Here, take a few minutes and read it. I have to go find Nino. He’s gonna love my scoop!” 

Then, in her first class, Monsieur Leblanc had decided that due to his class being cut short the day before, he would be handing out pop quizzes in order to catch up on curriculum. 

Marinette was pretty sure she bombed that quiz. 

The most recent bad thing that happened was slow to attack, allowing Marinette to fall into a false sense of security. She was feeling pretty lucky, honestly, that her day had only comprised of a few annoying issues instead of the record amount she’d experienced in the past. 

It was just before lunch when Alya’s phone let out a short, unfamiliar tune. Mlle. Bustier turned from where she was teaching English syntax on the chalkboard and raised an eyebrow at the brunette, “Was that an Akuma Notice, Alya?” 

Alya shook her head, “No, ma’am.” 

“Please wait until lunch before checking your phone for personal reasons, Alya.” Bustier stated, turning back to the board and resuming the rest of her lesson. 

Alya managed to comply with her teacher’s request and didn’t touch her phone for the rest of class. Though, she was practically vibrating to do so by the time the lunch bell rang. 

She practically tore it from her bag as she announced, “That was a notification from _Potins de Paris_! I only follow their Ladybug tags, so this notification has to be an update relating to her, right? I wonder if she’s doing patrol right now?!” 

Alya looked ready to run out of the building and track down the elusive heroine, so Marinette laid a hand on her shoulder to ground her, shaking her head. 

“Ladybug never patrols in the middle of the day, why would she start now?” 

That seemed to assuage Alya enough, and she nodded agreeingly. 

As they walked out of class, Alya spent her time scrolling on her phone and typing wildly. Marinette led her down the stairs, a hand wrapped around Alya’s elbow to guide her to the park. 

Once they arrived, Marinette noticed the boys were waiting for them under their tree. Alya threw herself onto Nino’s lap as soon as she looked up and saw them, and Marinette gracefully sat down next to Adrien. 

She couldn’t deny, her heart still thundered whenever Adrien was near, but she was making headway with pretending her crush didn’t exist. 

She could actually hold a conversation with the guy now!

Marinette took out her lunch and began waiting for Alya’s inevitable updates. The boys did the same, and the three of them made eye contact as they waited for the news. 

_Potins de Paris_ was one of Paris’ gossip outlets. Marinette didn’t believe a word that was uploaded to their blogs, but that was because she was capable of debunking pretty much every Ladybug-related scandals. 

Thankfully, Alya was always quick to question their reliability and didn’t always believe their word like some Parisians. 

Alya was Ladybug’s biggest fan. Though, she was tied very close with Adrien. Marinette and Nino were also big fans, but more on the aspect of them saving Paris and less on the fact that they A) idolized them or B) wanted to marry them. 

That’s why, when Alya finally found what she was looking for and read through the post, she gasped and didn’t immediately share the report. 

Nino read the words over his girlfriend’s shoulder, eyes widening as he read the text on her screen. 

Marinette gulped. What could the article possibly say that had both Alya and Nino speechless? 

Adrien shared a glance with her, looking almost as anxious as Marinette felt, “Guys?” 

Finally, Alya looked up at them, locking eyes with Marinette and Adrien before lowering her phone and shaking her head.

“You guys aren’t gonna like this...”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An article is discussed.

Wow, it was hot out here. Or was Marinette having a stroke? She couldn’t tell if her dry mouth was a result of the impending doom she was about to read, or simply her body’s reaction to being dehydrated but regardless, Marinette was suffering. 

Adrien scooted closer to her in order to share the view of Alya’s phone, which was tightly gripped in Marinette’s hand as she debated whether or not it was worth the pain to read the news.

When she felt Adrien’s close presence, she swallowed what little saliva she had in her mouth and let her eyes shift from Alya’s frowning face to the glowing screen below and she began to read. 

'_Are Paris’ Heroes Commiting to their Obligations?_

__

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_by Étienne Coté • il y a 18 minutes_

__

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_Throughout the city, many citizens hold the superheroes Ladybug and Chat Noir near to their hearts. In contrast, a handful have started to hold the opposite opinion. I am one of those few. _

__

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_Now, before you start defending the heroes, I ask that you hear me out. _

__

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_Nearly every week Hawkmoth corrupts the lives of the innocent and turns them into his salved. These man-made baddies were doing nothing incriminating prior to their akumatization other than perhaps stubbing their toe or running out of milk for their tea. Hawkmoth takes advantage of his victims the same way Ladybug and Chat Noir take advantage of us. _

__

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_The heroes arrived in Paris the same day Hawkmoth did. Each with one main purpose; Hawkmoth’s to destroy and Ladybug and Chat Noir’s to protect and retaliate against the attacks. _

__

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_Now, for over two years, not much has changed. _

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_Hawkmoth still uses people to his advantage. Ladybug and Chat Noir still haven’t figured out how to stop him permanently, and civilians are still getting hurt on a biweekly schedule. Well, the answer is right in front of our noses, people!_

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_Hawkmoth only wants one thing, and one thing only; the miraculouses. _

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_And, once he receives his ransom, the attacks will stop! Paris will be safe once again, and the heroes won’t have to fix any more devastation because it will have disappeared at its source. _

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_Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t protecting us. They’re simply postponing the inevitable.' _

Marinette couldn’t believe her eyes. Someone was out there defending Hawkmoth, and villainizing her and her partner’s work. 

How _dare_ they claim that they weren’t doing their best to stop the tyranny! Not only were they trying to take Hawkmoth down, but they were also responsible for reversing the effects of the akuma attacks. 

Marinette didn’t notice when Adrien placed his hand on her shoulder, or when Alya yanked the phone out of her grasp. She only noticed something wasn’t right when Nino started rubbing her back soothingly and someone started counting up and down from seven, encouraging her to breathe in time with the numbers. 

After a few deep inhales, she was back on Earth. 

_Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t protecting us._

She was so mad! So irate and upset with the article and its author that she could honestly bundle up in bed for the rest of the month and cry, that’s how angry she was. 

_They’re simply postponing the inevitable. _

She wanted to laugh! She also wanted to cry and scream at the top of her lungs, because _the inevitable_ was what she was trying to prevent. _The inevitable_ was Hawkmoth coming to her and Chat Noir and stealing their miraculouses and literally ending the world because he made a wish too powerful for them to fix. 

_The inevitable_ was, in fact, evitable because of the effort she put into every day as Ladybug. 

It was because of her efforts, her insistence to fight (and Chat Noir’s encouragement of her) that she was still standing today, holding back tears as she thought of every class she’d missed, every event she’d skipped and every person she’d hurt through her troubles.

As if someone could be so stupid to believe such an article! Ladybug and Chat Noir put so much effort into their obligations that having anyone say otherwise was just preposterous! 

Or, so Marinette thought. 

After she’d managed to calm down a bit, the group returned to picking at their lunch. None of them were particularly hungry anymore, but knowing they had 3 hours of classes left meant they should probably eat a little. 

Marinette listened to Alya defending her honour, stating how unprofessional this reporter was to write in first person of all things, and to basically beg his audience to humour his opinions, because he knew what he was saying was an unbelievable conspiracy. 

Because Ladybug and Chat Noir did everything they could to protect Paris! And Alya said this over and over again until they were sitting back in class, preparing for mathematics with Mlle. Mendeleiv. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a bit short because i spent a long time editing the article lol,, who knew how much effort writing fake news took???? never again!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class has some less-than-favourable reactions to the latest gossip article. Marinette decides that Ladybug will have to make a convincing argument for Paris' sake.

Once they were back in class, Marinette allowed herself to breathe out a sigh of relief. The pain in her chest hadn’t yet subsided, but she forced herself to let some of her anxieties go, if only so that she could focus in class.

She was breathing deeply, in and out, when Alya whipped around in her seat to glare at Kim. 

“What did you just say?” Alya asked, and Marinette was simultaneously thankful for her bold and brash best friend, and also a little bit embarrassed for her. 

That is, until she found out what Kim had been saying. 

“Not that it’s any of your business, Cesaire, but I was just telling Max that I agree with that reporter guy,” Kim replied, rolling his eyes in Alya’s direction.

_Oh, God_, Marinette thought. She completely forgot that the four of them weren’t the only ones to read the article. In fact, the majority of her class followed _Potins de Paris_, so it was sufficient to say that everyone in the room had read newest Parisian scandal. 

“Actually, Lê Chiến, you made it my business when you flipped from being pro-Ladybug to shitting all over her image!” Alya replied, growing stiffer in body posture by the second. 

Marinette rose her hand to rub her best friend’s shoulder calmly when she heard Max retaliate. 

“Alya, according to my calculations, Hawkmoth’s reign could end within minutes, but only if Ladybug and Chat Noir conform to his negotiations.” He said, matter-of-factly, “Imagine if our heroes would listen to us, they might see reason and end the tirade on Paris for good!” 

Marinette swivelled around in her seat to look Max in the eyes. He couldn’t be serious, right? 

“See, Cesaire,” Kim started, expression smug as he examined his nails casually, “The stats don’t lie!” 

At that moment, Mlle. Mendeleiv stalked into the classroom with a sinister grin on her face. She marched to her desk, heels clacking menacingly on the tile floors, and slammed a stack of white papers on the surface. 

Spinning around, she eyed her students, forcing Alya and Marinette to face forward with a single stare. 

Suddenly, she beamed. Though, it was a smile that a sadist would give to his prey, so Marinette received only chills of displeasure from her normally grim teacher’s expression. 

For good reason, too, apparently. 

“Time for a pop quiz!”

-

By the time school had ended, Marinette had heard her name been thrown around left and right, discussions of her superhero persona were being called into question, and she couldn’t even properly defend herself.

After all, they were right, weren’t they? 

They simply didn’t have all the factors. Like, the fatal consequences of making a wish with two of the Miraculouses. Wishing for life, created death, and wishing for money created poverty. There was a balance that civilians simply didn’t understand, and she wished that she had the power, as Marinette, to educate them. 

However, anything that came out of her mouth would seem awfully suspicious, given she wasn’t exactly the class’ resident Ladybug expert. 

So, she resolved to making a statement later that evening, as Ladybug. 

The amount of whispers she’d heard, not just from her class, but from the entire school, regarding her and Chat Noir’s moral obligations made it clear to her that it couldn’t wait another day. 

She’d have to find a way to convince Paris that fighting Hawkmoth was their only option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy cow!! sorry for updating so late. I've been immensely busy with school so I've not been able to get an update out til now!! sorry friends <3 
> 
> please comment if you enjoy, it really helps motivate me!


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